Hot Trailer: ‘Annie’

Here’s the latest look at the Quvenzhané Wallis starrer Annie, Columbia Pictures’ take on the Tony-winning Broadway musical-turned-feature. We see more of Rose Byrne (Neighbors) in this one along with fewer musical numbers. Wallis stars as the precocious foster kid from Harlem who is taken in by mega-rich mayoral hopeful Will Stacks (Jamie Foxx). Cameron Diaz, Bobby Cannavale and Rose Byrne co-star. Will Gluck directs from a script he co-wrote with Aline Brosh McKenna and Emma Thompson. Gluck also is producing with James Lassiter, Jada Pinkett Smith, Will Smith, Shawn “Jay Z” Carter, Jay Brown, Tyran “Ty Ty” Smith, and Caleeb Pinkett. Pic opens wide on December 19.

22 Comments

I think that kind of looks great. They really committed to an update and it seems to work. No singing/dancing numbers yet, though.

dsm • on May 29, 2014 9:11 am

NO. JUST NO.

msd • on May 29, 2014 9:11 am

YES.JUST YES.

Fred • on May 29, 2014 9:11 am

Dear Dan,

I want to argue with you, but I can’t. I just can’t.

james • on May 29, 2014 9:11 am

Jamie Foxx just looks miscast to me. He just doesn’t seem like a Daddy Warbucks type. I think it should have been a big burly actor. If they were going to go African American then it should have been Laurence Fishburne, who is quite big and burly now.

time • on May 29, 2014 9:11 am

I was expecting to hate this but I don’t.

Chris F • on May 29, 2014 9:11 am

I was expecting to really dislike it, too, but I kinda thought it worked. I’m not going to run out and see it, but not the trainwreck I was expecting. I’m still not a fan of Quvenzhané Wallis, but Jamie Fox looked really good in this.

IRON WILL • on May 29, 2014 9:11 am

I hope this movie is both a commercial and critical FAILURE!

Just looking at this trailer is like raping my childhood smh …

Are there ANY original ideas left in Hollywood? Or better yet, any RESPECT for the classic source material?! Wow…

Tim • on May 29, 2014 9:11 am

Well technically the original stage musical was itself a bastardization of the source material so that’s not a very good argument although I also think this looks and sounds hideous.

How could they possibly do this to such a classic film? What an absolute joke.

lukeandlaura • on May 29, 2014 9:11 am

Annie is a “classic” film?

Since when. And which one? It’s been repeatedly worked over between broadway, film, radio and tv.

JJ • on May 29, 2014 9:11 am

The updated/modern setting works just fine and even though the vocals aren’t Broadway ‘Annie’ I think audiences will be forgiving.

However…how painfully miscast is Cameron Diaz? She looks absolutely terrible with the acting chops of a Disney Channel or Nickelodeon tv show Mom.

Jinjeon • on May 29, 2014 9:11 am

Diaz hater alert. She’s barely in this new trailer and yet you start spewing your hate. It’s a children movie, she’s supposed to be over the top.

Angry Old Man • on May 29, 2014 9:11 am

Love it. Looks really cute and fun.

I am always up for entertainment that makes me feel good and this looks like it will do just that.

Haters, go away.

benten32 • on May 29, 2014 9:11 am

Everyone looks miscast. They’ve improved on the old trailer by minimizing the terrible Cameron Diaz (who I generally like) by replacing her with Rose Byrne, who is now the stiff. Problem with this trailer is while they have removed the musical number bits, we will be seeing loads of Cameron Diaz and musical numbers in the final product. There was so much warmth in the original show – does this version have warmth? The Miss Hannigan character doesn’t make sense in contemporary times. She should have been running a charter school where she’s test-prepping the Harlem kids to death.

Kimberly • on May 29, 2014 9:11 am

I’m thinking Disney should have opened this on August 6th.
(Look it up).

Greg Warbucks • on May 29, 2014 9:11 am

very cute. it will be a perfect XMAS film

rob • on May 29, 2014 9:11 am

Quvenzhané Wallis is a great actress with a brilliant future. But this is a misstep. making it contemporary doesn’t really work with the Annie storyline

Anonymous • on May 29, 2014 9:11 am

It IS classic–to a whole generation, and that says a lot.

Anonymous • on May 29, 2014 9:11 am

Miss Hannigan had some HUGE shoes, and clearly Ms. Diaz did not fill them well, she’s but a small supporting character in the trailer. Wasted, character, man!